


Something Bad About to Happen

by gravy_noodles



Category: DCU, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Based on a song, Bonding, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-09-12 01:51:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16863994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gravy_noodles/pseuds/gravy_noodles
Summary: “Just anywhere?” Slightly Amused turned into Definitely Amused, and full red lips opened into a smile. “Want a lift? I’m headed south and it looks like you might need a ride.”Kara debated the offer.On the one hand, she really wanted to go and do something that she wasn’t supposed to do; she wasn’t in the mood to do anything that made sense or was in character for her.On the other hand, this was a stranger in an expensive car and, well, she’d watched The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and it’d left an impression.On the other, other hand, she was bulletproof.ORKara runs away from her wedding and embarks on a road trip with a stranger named Lena.





	1. Stand on the Bar

Kara fidgeted with her dress, trying to get comfortable. Her wedding was in an hour, but she’d only put the darn thing on ten minutes ago and it was already digging into her.

“Is this really worth it?” she grumbled, tugging at the bodice.

“I’ve been asking you that for the past year, Kara,” Alex replied dryly. “Is Mon-El worth all this?”

Kara paused her yanking and turned to face her sister. Alex hadn’t hidden her distaste for the Daxam prince, and had voiced her reservation about the relationship during the early days. Her question was an argument they’d had over and over.

“I – of course he is, Alex!”

Normally, her older sister would have volleyed a reply back, and they’d go back and forth until one of them threw up their hands and walked away. However, this time, the reply was silence, accompanied by the signature Alex Danvers Stare (trademark pending).

“If he wasn’t, would I have said yes?” Kara continued, planting her fists on her hips. Alex kept giving her The Stare, raising one eyebrow. The silence felt heavy, and Kara’s dress began bugging her again. Her hands, unable to help themselves, began their fruitless dance with the silk. The more they adjusted, however, the less comfortable Kara felt.

“Who are you trying to convince, Kar, me or yourself?”

Her sister knew her so well, and Kara’s gut twisted with discomfort. There was some truth in her question; when he’d proposed, Kara had to take several days to think before she’d said yes to Mon-El. Even now, she still had some reservations about their relationship as a whole.

“Alex, I don’t need to convince anyone,” Kara retorted, turning back to the mirror. _Yes, I do – me_. “Sure, Mon-El and I have our issues, but we’re going to have the rest of our lives to figure things out. We already work pretty well together -”

“According to whom?”

“We work well! It makes sense, anyways: the last daughter of Krypton and the last prince of Daxam? It’d start a new generation of peace between our planets.”

“Wow, _that’s_ romantic,” Alex snarked. Kara could hear her roll her eyes.

“Alex, I’m marrying him!” She hadn’t meant to raise her voice, honestly. “We work, okay, and the wedding’s in an hour, I’m freaking out about this dress and I could really, really use my sister’s support!”

Alex released a breath and uncrossed her arms, softening.

“If you’re absolutely sure that that’s what you want, then I support you Kara. Always.”

Kara kept tugging at her dress.

XXX

They’d been sitting in Alex’s car outside the church for ten minutes. The wedding was supposed to have started twenty minutes ago. Kara was clenching her fists, trembling. The twist in her gut hadn’t unraveled. It had just woven knots throughout the rest of her insides, finally painfully squeezing the truth into her heart:

“Alex, I can’t do this.”

Silence. She heard Alex shift, turning to look at her.

“I can’t marry Mon-El.”

Her older sister hugged her, pulling back with understanding and sympathy in her eyes. The relief was buried deep down, an emotion for another time. Right now, Kara needed her to validate and support her decision. Alex took her sister’s fists in her hand, anchoring her.

“I know. It’s okay.” Kara sniffled, a wretched relief seeping through her veins, unclenching her muscles.

“What do I do?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll go in and let everyone know the wedding’s off, okay?” Kara nodded, and Alex pulled her into another hug, as much as the car would let her. “Just stay here, alright? We can go get stuffed on potstickers after, watch whatever movie you want to - ”

“ _Singin’ in the Rain_ ,” Kara mumbled, leaning into the embrace. Gratitude for her sister radiated through her; of all the people to blurt this out to, Alex was the one she trusted to let her make her own decision.

“I’ll be right back.” Alex opened the door, and made her way up the steps and through the large wooden doors of the church.

It was only when the door had closed that Kara realized that Alex had left the keys in the ignition. An idea – a terrible, irresponsible, not-super idea – began to take shape. It is possible that, in this moment, Kara Danvers was still panicking and not at her most levelheaded. Checking to make sure she wasn’t being watched, she unbuckled her seatbelt and dashed over to the driver’s seat. Her sister would be so mad at her, but for frick’s sake, she needed to get out of there.

The squeal of the tires on the asphalt met Alex and a confused Mon-El at the doors of the church: Kara was gone.

XXX

Kara had gotten home, stuffed clothes and a couple of bottles of alien liquor into a backpack, grabbed her wallet, and scribbled a fast note to Alex. Stepping out of her apartment complex, she glanced around, getting ready to take off. Her legs flexed, ready to propel her away from the earth when a car horn jolted her. She turned, hoping she’d not given herself away. The window to a sleek, very much _not_ -in-her-price-range black car rolled down as it slowed to a stop next to her.

“Where are you headed to, dressed up like that?”

There was a lilt to the voice, which came from the slightly amused smile of the striking, dark-haired woman behind the wheel.

“I – uhm…Just, anywhere, I guess?” Kara hadn’t really thought about _where_ she was going, just that she was.

“Just anywhere?” Slightly Amused turned into Definitely Amused, and full red lips opened into a smile. “Want a lift? I’m headed south and it looks like you might need a ride.”

Kara debated the offer.

On the one hand, she really wanted to go and do something that she wasn’t supposed to do; she wasn’t in the mood to do anything that made sense or was in character for her.

On the other hand, this was a stranger in an expensive car and, well, she’d watched _The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo_ and it’d left an impression.

On the other, other hand, she was bulletproof.

“Sure!” She grinned, approaching the car. “I’m Kara, what’s your name?”

“Lena,” the brunette replied, flashing another stunning smile of her own. “Enchanté.”

XXX

Kara learned that Lena worked in one of the big buildings downtown, doing science and technology research and development. This road trip was a holiday, something she'd been saving up the time off to do. When Kara asked why she was going on a road trip, Lena gave a vague and unsatisfying reply. Kara stopped pressing, and instead observed her companion. Lena drank her coffee black, drummed on the steering wheel when she talked, ate trail mix as a road snack, and listened to classical music as she drove.

"It's just more relaxing, and I'll not be distracted driving."

"Okay, I definitely respect and support safe driving, but you've never jammed out in the car?"

"...No?"

Kara shuffled around in her bag. 

"Lena, we are going to have to change this. You've not lived until you've sung in the car, it's Road Trip 101!" She held up her phone and an auxiliary cord. "Is it alright if I take over as car DJ?"

"I guess I could change things up a little," Lena agreed, fingers drumming the wheel nervously.

Five minutes into Kara's music takeover, Lena had begun singing under her breath, blushing as she grew louder, joining Kara in a boisterous chorus:

_Hey, I just met you_

_And this is craaaaaazy!_

XXX

They were in Arizona, just shy of New Mexico.

A flickering neon sign above bar had advertised that they were “The Best Wings in the Whole State!” and that seemed as good a place as any to stop for a bite of dinner. The All-U-Can-Eat only added to the appeal; Kara saw these types of establishments as challenges, and was more than happy to take them on.

The bar itself wasn’t very large, very lit, or very nice; however, random memorabilia cluttered the walls, and the bartender had been very polite and swift in serving the two companions. Lena and Kara had chatted about nothing in particular, both minds on the meal to come.

“Would you believe that I’ve only ever had wings once before?” Kara’s eyes widened.

“No, how can you only have had them only once?” she gasped. Lena chuckled, ruefully.

“Growing up, I wasn’t really allowed to go places that would serve things like chicken wings.” Kara leaned forward, curious. “It was during university, my second year or so, that my brother and I snuck away from a…a family event.” Lena smiled again, looking into her glass of water.

“We ended up completely lost, somewhere just outside of D.C. Le- my brother decided we should stop in at the first place we saw for food, because why not? It turns out there was this tiny, tiny place called Cowboy Café that served wings. I remember having the – it’s called a dry rub, I think?” Kara nodded. “The dry rub wings. They were so good, and pretty much one of my best memories of that trip – of the year, even.”

“That sounds pretty great, having that adventure with your brother,” Kara smiled.

“It was, though we got in so much trouble once we returned. It was nice to get away, though.”

“Is that what you’re doing here?” Lena’s eyes snapped up, jolting Kara with an intense, verdant stare. 

“I plead the fifth.” Lena joked, grinning after a second. Just then, the bartender arrived with two bowls of wings.

“Cajun dry-rub, and the sweet-n-spicy Thai chili wings, ladies. Whose is whose?”

“Just put them in the center, there. Kara, do you want some of mine?”

“Sure! Just a heads up, though, I can eat, like, a _lot_.”

“You? Pft, you’re tiny though, where would it go?” Lena scoffed, not believing her companion. Kara just shrugged, digging into her dry-rub.

Half an hour later saw Lena gaping at Kara as the blonde was finishing her third bowl of wings.

“I honestly don’t know whether to be impressed or horrified right now, Kara.”

Kara blushed, delicately gripping a drumstick.

“It is what it is.”

“You’re _tiny_ though, where on earth do you _put_ it?” Lena’s eyes followed the next drumstick as it met its demise at Kara's hands.

“I’ll tell ya where I’d like ya ta put it, sugar,” came a low drawl from the bar. The two women looked over and frowned at the man standing with a can of Budweiser, staring at them eat. They both stiffened, easy banter 

“I’ll thank you to keep that to yourself,” Lena replied coldly.

“Ugh, _gross_ ,” Kara grumbled at the same time.

Unfortunately, the creep took it as an invitation to their table, and stood over them. He reeked of sweat and smoke and beer, and Kara felt her dreams of a fourth bowl of wings wilt under the stench.

“I seen your car in the lot, it's real nice, real shiny. What's a pretty little thing like you do, to be driving that kinda car? Did Daddy fix it up for you?" he sneered, gravitating towards Lena and resting his arm over the top of her booth. 

“Hey, look, we don’t want trouble, but you’re ruining our dinner,” Kara began.

“I’ll ruin more’n just your dinner if you talk back to me, you stupid bitch,” he snarled, reaching for Kara. 

Kara slapped his hand away, using a bit of superstrength so he'd think twice about reaching for her.

"Don't touch me."

"It's a free country, snowflake," he smirked. "I was just showin' my appreciation, you don't have to act so frigid."

"Is everything okay, ladies?" The bartender returned, concern and wariness written on his face. The creep turned toward him, jabbing him in the chest with a finger that wasn't wrapped around the beer can.

"Fuck off, this's got nothing to do with you, spic."

Lena grabbed the man’s hand and twisted, bringing his arm behind his back and using his momentum to torque until something popped. A stream of whimpers and curses came from his mouth, but Lena kept the pressure on.

“That was unacceptable, you racist piece of shit. Apologize, _now._ ”

The calm was deadly, though her eyes flashed furiously. The creep muttered a half-hearted "sorry," and she let go, the sleazeball crumpling into a pile. She grabbed her jacket. Kara followed her movements with wide eyes. 

“My appetite’s ruined. Let's go, Kara.” Lena pulled out a stack of crisp bills and set it, gently, on the table. Kara just nodded and scrambled to follow the scary, fascinating brunette, only stopping to apologize to the bartender for the trouble.

XXX

The night found them drunk in a motel. Lena had never stayed in one, and, with the sincere hope that they hadn’t chosen the one with a serial killer for a receptionist, Kara suggested pull into the next one they saw.

“It’s for the experience!”

“Mm, something tells me it’s going to be a ‘one-and-done’ type of deal,” Lena replied, gazing skeptically at the water stain in the corner. “Thankfully, I have a way to make this fun.” She pulled out a bottle of something dark, unscrewed the cap, and took what can only be described as a dainty swig of the liquor, only pulling a small face after.

“Oof, bourbon.”

Naturally, a couple hours later, Kara and Lena were lying on the beds, steaming drunk. Bourbon mixed well with alien booze, and the effect was pleasant. It was almost as if the human liquor was warming her veins and making everything happy.

“Lena. LenaLenaLena.”

“What, Kar-bear?” The nickname rolled easily, if drunkenly, off of Lena's lips.

“What kind -” Kara stopped, hiccupping gently. “What kind of garden tool commands a ship?” Lena’s face screwed up in thought.

“…I don’t know.”

“A pi-RAKE!” Kara laughed, stopping when she saw Lena’s unimpressed visage.

“That was not funny.”

“It was a _liiiiiiiiiiiittle_ funny,” the Kryptonian coaxed, earning a smirk.

“Maybe, but only because it was such a bad joke.”

“Let’s see you do better!” Lena pursed her lips and grinned after a second.

“Okay. What do you call a fruity rock?”

“I dunno, what _do_ you call a fruity rock, Lenaaaa?” Kara beamed.

Green eyes glinted.

“Pome-granite.”

It took a second to land, but when it did, Kara laughed so hard that, if she’d been human, she swore her tonsils would have clapped together. It was so much worse than her joke, too. Lena joined, the mirth too infectious to deny – the alcohol definitely hadn’t made her laugh at her own joke, not at all. Lena turned to Kara after they’d finished laughing at the stupid pun.

In fairness, to their liquored minds, it was the joke of the century. The little things, y’know?

“I need to tell you something.” Her tone was worried, laughter gone.

“You just did,” Kara giggled.

“Kara, I’m _serious_ , this is important and you need to know before…well, before you inevitably find out and get mad at me.”

Kara stopped laughing and looked into Lena’s eyes.

“Okay, serious now. Tell me The Thing.”

Lena took a deep breath.

“I’m Lena Luthor.”

“…okay?”

“Like, Luthor-Luthor.”

“And?”

“That’s the Thing, Kara,” Lena burst, “I’m Lena of the Luthor family that did all those horrible things and hurt all those people and you need to know because I want to be your friend but I also want you to want to be my friend and I don’t wanna lie to you about that because it’s really big part of my life and it’s baggage and it won’t go away overnight so I just-”

“Lena!” The brunette’s babble stopped, and she turned to see Kara looking at her, propped up on one arm. Kara knew that the Luthors and her cousin had history, none of it good. She knew that there was significance to Lena Luthor being on a road trip with Kara Zor-El. However, at no point had Lena made her feel unsafe or tried to coax her into sharing anti-alien sentiment. She'd just sung Bohemian Rhapsody off-key, stood up for them both at the dive bar, and helped her escape her wedding day; none of that signaled that she followed the villainous steps of her family.

“The worst thing you've done has - has been denying yourself car trip karaoke. I understand where you're coming from, but I'm not going to ditch you because of who your family is. You’re cool and I want to be your friend, too. Your name is a name but you aren’t your family. You’re Lena, which is more important than Luthor, because it’s _you_.”

Lena smiled gratefully, and raised her drink.

“To being me,” she toasted.

“To being you,” Kara agreed, the two women downing their drinks.

XXX

Kara’s mouth tasted like something had died, thrown up, and died again. Her head swam in a fuzzy sea, sometimes catching in a net that tightened around her head. Nausea assaulted her, wave after wave crashing against her stomach. When it abated, she opened her eyes. Thankfully, the soft knives of sunlight were not shanking her eyes, but instead falling over Lena’s sleeping form. ‘Sleeping’ might be too diplomatic; the woman was out _cold._

She needed sugar. Water. Needed _something_ to ingest and weigh down her stomach, which had notions of flying and vertigo. Somehow, Kara managed to melt her aching form into clothes. Acceptable? _Who knows? It’s clothes. Don’t puke._ She groped for the key and her wallet, and tried to close the door quietly. To her ears, it was a gong.

The vending machines gave her issues: first, it ate her dollar bill, and then her bag of chips got caught. The final straw was that there was no water, and the soda machine didn’t give her the change back. Annoyed, Kara slammed a hand against the side of the machine, and was pleasantly surprised when the gentle rumble produced a generic orange soda. Inspiration struck, and she bopped the machine once more, receiving a lemon-lime soda. She repeated the process with the food, and walked away with an armful of snacks.

“I got foooooood!” She sang, not realizing her mistake as she entered.

“You’d better have your affairs in order, too,” came what could pass as a snarl, if one squinted closely enough. Kara swallowed, nervous.

Hurting as she was, Lena could still give a terrifying evil eye.

In penance, Kara offered her friend the Sprite-knockoff and a bag of Fritos. The calculating, inquisitive gaze rested upon the foodstuffs before slowly dragging up to Kara’s eyes. It amazed the Kryptonian, how someone as obviously hungover and utterly disheveled as Lena could still intimidate with a look. Even if her messy hair was cute. _Wait, what?_

“Thank you, but nope. I need real food, we’re getting breakfast.”

XXX

The diner was not, by any means, five-star, but their breakfasts came loaded and their large portions took no prisoners. Kara felt better by the forkful, and even Lena seemed to appreciate solid food and the illegally strong drip coffee.

“I should get their recipe for this,” she mused, gazing almost adoringly at the worn mug in her hand.

“It’s probably just instant?” Kara guessed around a mouthful of bacon.

“Chew and swallow Kara, that’s gross and you might choke.” There was no heat in the admonishment, just a relaxed suggestion. “Besides, instant or not, this coffee raised me from the dead; thus, I love and need it. How on earth did we drink that much?”

Kara shrugged. “We just kept…drinking?”

Lena chuckled, winced, and sipped her beverage.

“Yes, that’d do it.”

They continued eating, alternating between amicable silence and a gentle, teasing banter. It was strange but not unwelcome, and Kara found herself enjoying the impromptu road trip that she’d embarked upon with this stranger. In fairness, Lena was becoming less of a stranger and more of a friend, and fast. She much preferred this, Lena, in casual clothes and shades, hungover and drinking instant coffee, to trying to pry any decent or meaningful conversation out of Mon-El.

“Well, whaddaya know,” came a familiar and grating drawl. Kara’s skin crawled as her stomach dropped. _So much for a peaceful breakfast._

The creep from last night was swaggering over to their table, his arm in a sling and flanked by two others. They were meaty, and their smell reached the two women before the actual three did.

_So much for ANY breakfasts ever again_ …Kara’s internal monologue grumbled.

She may be the Girl of Steel, but there is just a _limit_.

“Oh, for _fuck's_ sake,” Lena grumbled, looking forlornly at her coffee. “I was really enjoying this, too.”

Kara hummed her agreement, reaching for her wallet to pay the bill.

“Guys, we _really_ don’t want any trouble.”

“Guess your pretty friend shoulda thought ‘bout that before bustin’ up my arm.”

“You could’ve just left us alone, too,” Lena snarks, eyes flashing dangerously.

“Naw, that’d just be no fun,” the creep grinned. “’sides, it ain’t right when a woman don’t know her place.”

“Wow, you could _not_ be more stereotypical, could you?”

“Th’fuck you sayin’, calling me a radio?”

Kara would laugh if the situation weren’t so tense. Well, realistically it wasn’t tense for her; she could fling this guy into the sun if she so chose. These insignificant weaklings did not trouble Kara Zor-El. Kara Danvers, however, knew that it was time for a diplomatic and hasty exit.

“Lena, let’s _go,_ ” she pleaded, tipping 200%, because it was just easier okay?

As they moved to vacate, the two beefy sidekicks stood in front of the door, glaring menacingly.

“Y’all can’t leave ‘til I git my apology, ladies,” smirked the creep.

“The hell they can't, Jason!”

The five turned from their confrontation to behold the waitress, annoyed and striding into Judd’s space with the confidence of a woman who Owns This Place (trademark also pending).

“I don’t know what the trouble is, but I’m not having it inside my diner while my paying customers are tryin’ to enjoy their lunch. Y’all take that redneck stuff outside or I’ll call the cops to come down for a nice long chat. And I know you’d not like them knowin’ you’re violating your parole, would you, Jason?” She aimed an unamused, omniscient stare at the creep, who seemed to shrink.

“Am I understood?”

“Yes’m,” came three mumbles. Jason and his friends left first, glaring at the two women they’d come to bother. Lena nodded once to the waitress, collecting her things and taking one last, regretful sip of the coffee. Kara grabbed the bill, her cash, and walked directly up to the waitress, muttering a shy, “thank you for the food, it was excellent” before holding the door open for Lena.

XXX

The thugs were waiting in the parking lot.

“Seriously?!” Lena groaned. “This has got to be the stupidest macho bullshit in the history of confrontations! Are we really doing this?”

“We ain’t got to, baby, all you need to do is be a good girl an' say sorry.” Jason and his cronies grinned, paradoxically taking up space while folding their arms.

A beat passed, and Kara glanced at Lena, noting the tic of her jaw tensing.

“Yeah, okay, this is happening. This is idiotic, but it’s happening,” Lena sighed, tucking the sunglasses away and putting her hair into a high ponytail. She’d just finished tucking the last strands of hair in when one of the bigger guys charged her, right arm pulled back to punch.

She moved so swiftly, only Kara could see her strike: grabbing his right arm with her left, Lena controlled and deflected the punch while bringing her right palm up to catch him under the chin. His head snapped back as he cried out, only to be choked into silence as Lena struck him a second time, this time with her fingers jabbing into his throat. He crumpled and she looked up, ready for the next attack.

“It really helps when they come at me one at a time,” she said, throwing a smirk Kara’s way. Something fluttered in Kara’s chest, not unpleasantly.

_Where did she learn to do that?!_

Instead of waiting for the second, bigger crony to attack her, Lena charged forward. The crony swung for her, and she dropped to the floor, hooking one foot behind his left foot while kicking the other up into his knee. The crack was loud, and the big man fell, howling and clutching his knee.

“You bitch!” he cried, silenced as Lena’s backfist connected with the side of his skull.

Beside her, Kara heard the first attacker stirring. She knelt down and delivered a finger-flick to his face, her Kryptonian strength knocking him back out. Not that she was feeling cocky about it, though. She had _helped_.

A gunshot cut through her smugness.

Jason, the OG creep, had a gun. A gun pointed at Lena. Lena was standing stock still, her face betraying nothing but calmness. Her heartbeat told Kara otherwise, thundering at a rapid staccato.

“Fuckin’ uppity _bitch_ ,” spat Jason, shaking the gun. Lena took a step back, slowly raising her hands.

“That’s right, fuckin’ raise ‘em up, can’t fuckin’ punch through lead, you stupid slut,” he crowed.

If Kara moved now, she could maybe stop the bullet. She started moving towards Lena.

“Hey! Don’t fuckin’ move blondie!” The gun swung to her, and she breathed a sigh of relief, forgetting that nobody else knew she was bulletproof. Now that she had his attention, she had to keep it; the gun was safer trained on her than it was on Lena.

“Jason – that’s your name, right? Jason, we said we don’t want trouble. We still don’t, and I don’t think you want to shoot anybody. Am I right?”

“Fuck you, I got my rights! I'm standin' my ground!”

“That only works if you’re on your own property, you Neanderthal.”

Jason refocused his sights on Lena, who put her hands back up.

Kara stared helplessly, but kept moving forward.

“YOU AND I BOTH KNOW,” Kara shouted, bringing his attention back to her, “that shooting either of us would be more trouble than it’s worth, Jason. Cops, jail, court, all the stuff you don’t want to have to go through again, right?”

“They can’t prove shit, ain’t nobody here but us!”

“And a diner full of patrons.” Lena sardonically replied nodding her head towards the establishment behind her. Jason swallowed.

“THE POINT IS,” Kara redirected, moving a little faster to draw his attention and gun back to her. “The point is, _we don’t want trouble_ , and we don’t think you truly do, either, so why don’t you put down the gun and let us go?”

Jason swallowed, thinking. The gun began to waver, his hand slowly coming down. Kara took another step forward; she only needed about five more to take the gun away.

“It’ll be a cold day in hell when some fuckin’ _female_ takes my gun out my hands!” Jason sneered, bringing the gun back up and firing on Kara.

He was a terrible shot, and missed her three times. She charged forward as the gun went off a fourth time, a bullet catching her right in the hollow of her throat. _At least it didn’t rip my clothes._ Triumph sparkled in his eyes, only to be swiftly doused with confusion’s wet blanket. Kara’s fist wiped away his sneer, along with his consciousness.

“Kara! Are you okay? I thought I saw him hit y-” Lena’s cry died on her tongue as Kara turned around, palms out and unhurt. She lunged towards the blonde and hugged her quickly and fiercely, stepping back to check that Kara wasn’t otherwise injured.

“Yeah, luckily he’s just like an old school Stormtrooper: all miss and no hits,” Kara grinned, trying to reassure the other woman. “Also, what was _that_? You were seriously badass just now!”

Lena blushed but met Kara’s eyes with a hint of a smile.

“I’m a Luthor. A basic knowledge of self-defense is necessary.”

She must have realized how bleak that sounded, because she followed up with a quip:

“Besides, what kind of well-rounded Renaissance woman would I be if I didn’t practice a little aikido?”

“I think I remember learning that Michelangelo got his black belt after creating the David,” Kara joked back.

“The original Bully Bob,” Lena snickered.

Faintly, Kara picked up sirens wailing their way towards them. On any other day, she’d stay and make a report, but odds were that she was being searched for and the resources included police databases. It was better not to take the chance; she had a road trip to continue and was in no hurry to face consequences.

“Hey, Lee?”

The woman in question paused her frantic examination of her friend, an eyebrow quirked in acknowledgment.

“We should probably get going, somebody probably called the police.”

Lena hummed.

“Yes, it’d be rather inopportune to be found here. Too much to explain,” she acquiesced. Kara wondered, and not for the first time, why _Lena_ was on this journey. Why had she agreed to take her along?

The two women swiftly made for their car and peeled out, gravel flying as they made their getaway.


	2. Stomp Your Feet

Lena’s middle name was Kieran. She enjoyed scotch, Malbec, and David Attenborough, not necessarily in that order. She preferred a proper book to reading via screen, but to be honest, didn’t much mind how she reads things; she just liked to read. She had exactly one relationship that she’d classify as a genuinely romantic one, but she wasn’t a stranger to desire, she told Kara, blushing.

Lena learned that Kara spoke a lot of languages, enjoyed art, and was a sucker for sunrises and sunsets. She listened to cute anecdotes about Streaky, Alex, Winn, and James, laughing at outcomes and sympathizing during difficult confessions. Between conversations, music filtered through the car and provided a soundtrack to the odometer.

XXX

“Jeanne d’Arc.”

“She’s a Saints fan?”

“I mean, sure, why not?”

“It just doesn’t seem like it’d be something she’d be particularly concerned with.”

“People have layers, Kara. Maybe Jeanne enjoyed the NFL in her down-time?”

“That’s something I have to see some day.”

“Who knows, maybe there’s a universe where that kind of anachronism exists, and is even commonplace?”

“A girl can dream about the implications for the traditional, linear concept of time!”

“I have, darling, many times.”

XXX

A few days later, they found themselves in New Orleans, the real city that never sleeps. The explosion of color and music in the French Quarter both overwhelmed and excited Kara: it was cacophony and discovery, and she was happily torn between covering her sensitive ears and indulging in the revelry. Lena, too, was lost in the best way. They dropped their things off at a picturesque hotel, preferring to walk around and see where the day would take them.

The two spent their day gawking and pointing and chatting to performers, running towards each attraction that caught their eye.

It’s a different kind of drunken euphoria, to be somewhere new and tantalizing. Every strange thing tickled Kara’s mind, a smorgasbord of sensation and information. National City had diversity, sure, but such eccentricity and seeming timelessness? This was new for her, and she loved it.

They traipsed around, learning the history of the city and admiring the statues architecture of homes that seemed to withstand both time and the thick humidity that blanketed the state. There was something old and unchanging, a force that was singular to this place, and this place alone.

When their stomachs rumbled, Lena dragged them over to a restaurant for gumbo. She’d never had the dish and Kara, ever the all-consuming pit of Kryptonian calorie-busting, was more than happy to oblige.

Plus, Lena said she’d pay for mimosas.

“Did you know that this is the Louisiana’s official state cuisine?” she asked, contemplating a spoonful of gumbo. Kara shook her head, as her mouth was already full. She swallowed before replying:

“I sure didn’t! It’s delicious, though, I can definitely see why they’d give it that place of honor!”

Lena chuckled before taking her first bite.

The moan that came from her mouth made Kara blush as electric warmth spread through her body, settling low in her hips. _Golly._

“Kara…” Lena moaned, and another wave of sensation soaked through the blonde. _Wow oh wow._ She could feel the heat in her cheeks intensifying. “This is so good, oh my god. How have I never tried this?”

“Uhm…I don’t know?”

Kara had never felt so irrationally jealous of a spoon before.

“It’s rhetorical; my family would never stray from traditional European cuisine, and nowadays I live on take-out.”

“What, you’re kidding!” Kara exclaimed. “I call bull.”

“That’s fair, sometimes I do hire a chef, but only for special occasions.”

Kara’s eyes widened.

“Okay, wow. But even still, you’ve never had gumbo?”

“No…I guess it didn’t make the cut as ‘CEO cuisine.’” Lena rolled her eyes. “As if I care about propriety. It’s _food_ : all humans need it to live. I like to eat healthy, but I also enjoy expanding my palate.”

“Yeah, I’m not picky, either,” Kara grinned, sipping thick and flavorful broth from her spoon. Lena laughed, eyes crinkling.

“That’s a succinct way of putting it!”

Kara shrugged.

“I have a way with words, it’s part of the job.”

“Job?”

“Yeah, I’m a journalist! I actually just got promoted, but it still counts!”

Lena stilled, and Kara sense that she’d said something wrong. Replaying the conversation, she realized what the issue was. _Journalism and Luthors don’t mix well._

“I guess that, with your family, reporters aren’t exactly your favorite people?”

“They certainly do have a way of getting into my business, regardless of whether or not it’s factually accurate.” Lena’s reply was cold, and Kara understood her suspicion.

“I’m not here to do some kind of undercover exposé, if that’s what you’re thinking!” Lena didn’t look convinced, so Kara kept going.

“Honestly, you were a complete stranger when you picked me up; I wasn’t even at work, I was trying to get away.”

“From what?” Lena’s curiosity had been piqued.

“…Well…I mean, if you hadn’t guess by the big white dress, I was supposed to be getting married that day,” Kara admitted, glancing down at her tragically empty bowl of gumbo.

“I’d figured.”

“Yeah…I sort of ran away from the groom and…well…everyone? Everything?” Kara lifted her eyes, and her heart stuttered to see emerald attentively watching. “I just couldn’t do it. I – It wasn’t right and I was double-guessing everything, which I don’t think I would’ve been doing if it was the right person, you know? It’s not that I don’t like Mon- Mike, I mean we got on well enough -”

“How romantic.”

“…that’s exactly what my sister said.”

“She probably had a point, Kar.”

“Yeah, and I’d been realizing that when you picked me up. ANYWAYS, my point is, I’m a reporter but I’m not here to do anything ethically shady.”

“Then why are you here?”

Kara paused, holding Lena’s eye contact. The question was there, as well as an indecipherable tension of something unsaid.

“I’m here because I want to be, and I want to see where we go next.”

Something charged the air between the two women, and inaudible to anybody without superhearing, Lena let out a small gasp, her heartbeat accelerating.

“And because I’ve also never had gumbo.”

The moment broke, and the two dissolved into laughter. After a minute or two, Kara asked:

“Are we okay?”

“Yeah, yes, we’re okay. Though, I think you might need another bowl, and we both definitely earned another round of mimosas,” Lena replied, shining a grin that had Kara’s stomach doing backflips.

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said, mirroring Lena’s smile.

XXX

They were drunk again.

At dinner, Kara had started putting proper alien liquor in her cocktails, and had joined Lena in stumbling happily down Bourbon Street. It was like being a child, all the wonderment of new, unique sights, but with the headiness of being an adult and getting to go and do whatever they wanted. They’d already danced with a crowd to a street band, moving to the melody of bright jazz.

“Did you know that there’s no closing time in these bars?” Lena asked, leaning over and smirking conspiratorially. Kara gasped.

“That’s incredible! Let’s go to all of them!” She grabbed Lena’s hand and began moving through the crowds, seeking the next beverage adventure.

“Let’s duck in here,” Lena suggested, pointing to the neon sign advertising a fortune-teller.

“You believe in that stuff?” Kara inquired, the scientist in her scoffing skeptically.

“No, I’d take a lab over a psychic any day, but I’ve always wanted to have my palm read. It seems fun,” Lena replied, shrugging.

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“Stick around, darling, you’ll find out,” Lena winked. She strutted away, a sway to her hips that had Kara’s pulse stuttering. 

XXX

The psychic would only see one of them at a time: it would be “easier to read the energy of only one person, than the mixed auras of two.” Lena snarked that it probably didn’t hurt the $100 per person rate, either, making Kara choke on a laugh. The medium looked at the blonde, eyes piercing her.

“I see you’ve brought your aunt with you, Kara.”

Kara stopped laughing, wariness seizing her.

“What did you say?”

“Your aunt, she’s here with us now. She wants you to know that she’s very proud of you.”

A tightness surged from Kara’s chest into her throat, tears stinging hotly against her eyes. The psychic beckoned, and Kara followed her to the back room.

“I am sorry to have brought up painful memories; her presence was strong alongside you, I couldn’t ignore it.”

“No, that’s – that’s okay,” Kara mumbled, sitting on a(n admittedly very comfortable) sofa.

“Would you like some tea before we begin your reading? I usually do pure psychic readings, without tools, but maybe a simple palm reading would help you relax and let the energy flow more freely?”

“No, I’ll…I’ll try the pure reading, if that’s okay?”

“It’s up to you, and if that is what you want, it’s what we’ll do. I’m merely here to act as a guide and a translator for the energies in your life; you may not get answers that you want, but hopefully this session leaves you empowered to live your life in a purposeful way. Now,” the reader held out her hands. “Let me hold your hands, and we’ll begin.”

Kara considered herself a very affectionate person, but, she realized, it was more with people she knew well, like Alex or Winn or, to his chagrin and secret joy, J’onn. She’d been holding hands with the psychic for about three minutes; it felt odd and a little uncomfortable to be touching a stranger in a way that was unrelated to saving their life or thwarting criminal activity. She tried not to fidget.

“Alright, Kara. Now that I’ve got the connection, I’m going to begin speaking. Astra tells me that you have a couple of questions, and that you’ve just experienced an upheaval of self.”

“I – I guess, yes?” _How, in Rao’s name, does she know Astra’s my aunt?_

“This upheaval is just another result of something deeper, of a larger journey that is slowly unfolding before you. Your identity is at the centre of all of this, who you were, who you want to be, who you feel you should be, and who you are. You’ve physically travelled such a long way, and personally have a very firm foundation – you are very secure in who you are, Kara. That is good; it will allow you to wear all those hats…”

Kara stood silently as the psychic continued her stream of clairvoyant thought. She just wanted to know one tiny thing, and was itching to interrupt and ask.

“Kara, you think so loudly, I probably shouldn’t even be charging you for this session. Ask what you want to ask: your questions are valid and knowledge is power.”

“Did I do the right thing?” Kara blurted. “Was abandoning my wedding the right thing to do?”

“You know this answer deep in your gut. Listen to that feeling. You were relieved as you drove your sisters car away from the church, weren’t you?”

“Yes…” _How..?_

“And when Lena picked you up, your intuition directed you. You could have married…Mike, is it? The name is hazy,” the psychic explained. Kara tilted her head, skepticism seeping back into her mind.

“It happens when an identity is in flux; this man you were going to marry is in a transition of his own, on his own journey. If you had stayed and married him, you would be content.”

“So I should’ve stayed?”

“Lord bless you, Kara, you and I both know that _contentment_ is no substitute for true happiness. You would have married and been content, yes, but always, always you would feel that doubt, that constant questioning of, ‘is this it?’ I see your future with this man, and let me tell you honey,” her medium leveled a look at Kara with a gaze that Cat Grant would be proud of. “The word ‘more?’ keeps popping up.”

Heat flared at the back of Kara’s neck: as much as she didn’t want to admit it aloud, the psychic was right. She’d spent most of her relationship with Mon-El in a parental position. It wasn’t an equal give and take, because she was already settled in her identity and her purpose on Earth. He was still grappling with the fact that slavery is bad. He had his moments, but moments wouldn’t make a lifetime of parenting him worthwhile.

“Continue your journey, Kara. That’s what Astra and the life forces are showing me, telling me. Be mindful of your hats – you think that they all need to be separate, but they don’t need to be. The one who will share true happiness with you will love all that you are. Astra passes you a warning: this will not be easy, but this path will bring you…home.” Kara swallowed hard against the surge of emotion and nodded.

“She also says…and I’m sorry if I get this wrong, I’m not quite sure what language this is, ah… _‘tiv zrhythrev ehl inah, khuhp i zhor, khuhp i :jev - chad vo rrip khuhp w shahrrehth-uju. Ehrosh :bem.’_ Do you understand what she’s telling you?”

There was no way to stop it: hearing her aunt’s words, even if from the untrained mouth of a human, was a deep reminder of home. A physical home that was gone, but a spiritual, formless and infinite home that stayed with her, kept alive through memory and language.

Kara wept.

Relief and joy and pain and sadness flowed from her. Her mother tongue filled her ears in a fresh and familiar way that lifted a weight she’d become accustomed to carrying. Earth languages were varied and fascinating, but they were visitors and unfamiliar in her mouth. Her thoughts and dreams were still in Kryptonian, and she’d sometimes find herself running through her old grammar lessons, lest she lose that intangible evidence that linked her to her planet, her home, her family.

“Yes, I do.”

XXX

Lena’s reading took a whole hour. When she came out, it seemed as though weight had been lifted from her shoulders as well. Her eyes, however, were not focused on the world around her, instead a green sea of internal dialogue. Questions itched to burst forth from Kara: what had she asked? What answers did she get? What was she searching for from the session?

However, taking in her friend, Kara sensed that it would be better to let Lena talk about her session in her own time. _Rao knows I need to process my own reading…_

Kara held her arms out instead, offering her friend a hug. Lena looked at Kara as though she was only just seeing her for the first time, something flitting across her face. It was only a moment, gone faster than a blink of an eye.

As Kara wrapped her arms around Lena, she listened to her heartbeat. It was calm and steady, and Kara felt hers adjusting to match the rhythmic thumps. They held each other a little longer, needing nothing but presence in the moment.

Kara broke the silence first:

“I’m less skeptical, now.”

A wet chuckle gusted warmly into the crook of her neck, and immediately Kara began rubbing gentle circles along Lena’s back, not stopping even as the scientist began relaxing.

“Yeah, same.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not just yet, but this is nice, thank you.” Lena sighed and sank further into the embrace, the warmth of her body welcome against Kara’s.

“Any time, Lee.”

XXX

There was a chance that they were lost, but Kara didn’t really mind. Lena’s ( _soft, warm_ ) hand was in hers, and they were strolling along Esplanade Avenue, towards the river. Sometimes they chatted about random things; sometimes they walked in complete and comfortable silence. Lena had suggested they go for more drinks, but no bar seemed to fit the bill.

The night was warm and, surprisingly, not as overwhelmingly muggy as the day had been. A pleasant breeze occasionally drifted by to break up the humidity and cool the two women. If it didn’t, Kara subtly and gently used her freeze-breath. If Lena noticed the seemingly arbitrary change in wind direction, she didn’t point it out.

“What about this one?”

Music spilled onto the street from within a boisterous bar. It didn’t seem too crowded, but full enough to let an outside observer know that this watering hole was worth coming to.

“Come on Kara, let’s go for one drink!” Lena implored, using their combined hands to direct her companion towards the doors. She turned back, smiling, and Kara felt a blush rise in her cheeks. _What is going on?_

“Alright, just one…” she allowed herself to be pulled in.

XXX

It was not just one drink.

Booze and jazz flooded their veins and conversation flowed, silly and deep and no topic under the sun unexplored. During a lull in talk, Kara had an inspiration, voicing it while she reached out to her partner in drink:

“Let’s dance!”

The music was full of life and perhaps that is what gave Lena the daring to take the proffered hand. The headiness from the drinks didn’t hurt things, either. Kara gave Lena a few twirls, making sure not to get too carried away and accidentally hurt her. The two weren’t trained swing-dancers, by any means, but it wasn’t hard to get caught up in the energy around them. They danced with the people around them, giving Kara time to marvel at how free Lena looked, hair taken from its ponytail and cheeks red from dancing and laughing.

She wasn’t unfamiliar with the look; it was one that Lena often wore when they were in the car. It just always managed to take a little bit of her breath away each time she caught sight of it.

The tune changed, and they came back together. Lena’s hand found Kara’s, and the Kryptonian found herself leading, her other hand low against the small of Lena’s back.

She tried, honestly she did, not to think about how small the distance was between their bodies. Lena decided to lay her head against Kara’s shoulder, just then.

 _Rao, please don’t let her hear my heart_.

“I don’t get to do this very often,” Lena confessed in her ear as they swayed closer together, a slower tune with a heated underlying urgency guiding their steps. The statement, a light whisper, lay heavy in Kryptonian ears. “But I’m glad I’m doing it with you, Kara.”

Something quickened in Kara’s blood. The way Lena’s lips grazed the shell of her ear before uttering that, meant only for her to hear, created a buzzing that traveled from the base of her skull into the tips of her toes, leaving heat in its wake. She’s certain that the scientist heard it: _how could she not?_

Kara swallowed hard, trying to gain a grip on herself, on the thunder in her chest.

“I’m glad, too.” It came out as a rasp, and if questioned, Kara knew she could play it off as exertion from all the dancing. She didn’t want to, though; she felt Lena’s slight shiver, heard the stutter of her heart and the small gasp that brushed against her eart. Maybe it was the alcohol, but that tingling shot through her again, as well as pride, for eliciting that response.

The jazz kicked up again, too lively to keep swaying and exploring the moment. It got hot, fast, as the people around them sped up with the tune. Kara and Lena broke away, heading outside to cool off, giggling from the sheer exhilaration of impulse.

XXX

When Lena kissed Kara, a hundred thousand thoughts went silent, surprised and delighted and intoxicated. Kara reacted, bringing her closer and kissing her back enthusiastically.

Lena tasted like expensive scotch, smooth and sweet but with a bite. Her lips are soft, and Kara fights back the urge to pull that perfect bottom lip between her teeth; _later_ , _maybe? Rao, please later!_

Her perfume surrounded Kara, beneath it a scent that is uniquely Lena. If she could sink into that smell, she would happily do so. Lena’s hands warmed her upper arms. She squeezed gently before her fingers trail down to hold Kara’s right hand.

When Lena pulls back, Kara’s body huffs at the loss of contact. She’s pretty sure she’s pouting, but only a little.

“I’m so-”

“Lena Kieran Luthor, that better not be an apology coming from you,” Kara gently chides, running her thumb over Lena’s index finger. “That was a phenomenal kiss, and I’m incredibly lucky that I got to share it with you.”

Lena blushes, unrelated to the heat of the night.

“I didn’t want to push anything onto you that you might not have wanted,” she begins. “It’s just…we’re drunk.”

_Oh._

“Oh.”

“Yeah…I mean, please don’t misunderstand me, I’ve been wanting to kiss you and I would have kicked myself not taking that chance. God, you’ve just run away from your wedding! I don’t even know if it’s something you want or feel ready for, and if I’m going to be properly kissing you, I want to be sober for it.”

_OH._

“OH.” After a beat passed, Kara realized that she’d been staring and that Lena was expecting a bit more than just an exclamation. She gently squeezed Lena’s hand.

“It’s okay, Lena. Heck, it’s more than okay, that was…that was… _wow._ ” Lena chuckled, smiling shyly.

“I wouldn’t mind doing it again, is what I’m trying to say,” Kara clarified, closing the distance between them. Lena’s eyes darkened and flickered down to her lips.

“No?”

“Not at all,” she replied, ducking her head a couple of centimeters and smiling into the next kiss.

XXX

“Lena, should we talk about this?”

“Yes, but it’s late and I’m tired and we’re still rather drunk.”

“Yeah, same, and you just lost a shoe.”

“I thought you said you didn’t see that!”

“Miss Luthor, I think all of Bourbon Street saw that.”

“Cheeky!”

“Don’t worry, I rescued it.”

“Miss Danvers, my knight in drunken armor.”

“At your service, mademoiselle.”

XXX

Something had shifted.

Literally: Kara woke to her arm slung over Lena’s waist, their clothed bodies spooning comfortably. She definitely remembered falling asleep in her bed, though.

Less literally, and more in terms of feeling a difference in the air, a shifting of the earth beneath her: Lena turned over and smiled sleepily at Kara, a vision with tousled, black hair. When she stretched, Kara gave into the urge to place a light kiss at the base of her neck, reveling in the quiet shiver it elicited.

“Morning,” she rumbled.

“Shh, if I have absolute silence, I can pretend my hangover is just a bad dream,” Lena groaned, an admonishing finger on Kara’s lips. The Kryptonian smiled, kissing the digit before rolling onto her feet; it was a feat done with shaky execution, and she trembled trying to stick the landing. _Electrolytes are in order, stat._

“You got it, Lee. I’m going to go grab coffee, want some?”

“Please, you magnificent savior.”

“Are we okay?”

“Yes, and we’ll talk about it Kara. I promise.” Lena smiled comfortingly at her, letting the moment sink in. Then, she turned over and flopped back into the pillows. “Just, _after_ I’ve had the magic burnt bean water. Thoughts are hard right now.”

XXX

The day was muggy, bright, and soft jazz trickled through the air. It brought back the memories of last night, and Kara grinned. Her lips tingled as she remembered the kisses and dancing; the closeness of Lena had affected her more than any liquor had, alien or human. Excitement ran through her at the thought of continuing their road-trip, of exploring this new dimension of her relationship with Lena.

She could worry about the fortuneteller’s omniscience later; she was Supergirl, and it wasn’t a day in the life if she didn’t face _some_ new challenge. Her aunt’s words echoed warmly in her heart, and a tear prickled her eye. She would move forward; she’d have to, to see what came next.

XXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATION:  
> ‘tiv zrhythrev ehl inah, khuhp i zhor, khuhp i :jev - chad vo rrip khuhp w shahrrehth-uju.Ehrosh :bem Kara.’  
> ::  
> 'Daughter of the House of El, my heart, my joy - to you I give all of my hope. Good luck/good journey/goodbye, Kara.'
> 
> Hi!  
> Oh my gosh, thank you all so much for reading! I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far, and I hope you liked reading this chapter. All mistakes and triumphs are my own, and your constructive comments are very appreciated! 
> 
> I've never been to New Orleans, so I did a lot of research (and have a new-found appreciation for gumbo) to try and make up for not having been. Thank you for bearing with me! 
> 
> The Kryptonian! I love conlangs so much, it's my dream job to a) translate them and b) create my own conlang. I'll take any chance to more fully explore them. That said, I tried to translate meaning for meaning instead of word for word - finally using my degree folks - but would love feedback in terms of fluency! Kryptonian is unlike the languages I normally work with, and I want to be better at it because "language is everything" - there's a whole school of theory on how language shapes subjective reality, which adds this really fascinating, extra layer of significance to "real" languages and "fictional" languages (I'd argue they're all real by virtue of existing).
> 
> I am bad at writing romance stuff. My personal experience involving kissing the people I love has just been inarticulate internal joy-noises, so actually writing it down for a whole different person has been mental exercise. It's been fun, too, but challenging.


	3. Start Clappin'

The drive out of New Orleans was silent, save for soft music and the hum of the road. Kara felt fidgety; she’d never been able to _not_ confront a situation, as a Danvers or as Supergirl. Waiting on Lena to break the silence was difficult. She wanted it all out in the open, but she’d already broached the topic once today, and wanted Lena to know it was in her court to bring it up. Taking a deep breath, she held it and counted to four before releasing slowly.

Sea-green eyes shifted over, and the trademark brow arched.

“I bet I can guess what’s on your mind, Kara.”

“Am I that obvious?” Kara chuckled, leaning against the window and rubbing the back of her neck.

“You think _very_ loudly, it’s hard not to notice the wheels turning.” Lena smiled back, gently. A sense of déjà vu struck Kara, and her time with the psychic came rushing back to her. _Do I really do that?_

“The psychic said the exact same thing.”

“Well, then, it must be true!” The two women laughed, tension dissipating. Kara turned to stare at Lena. _Might as well get it started, waiting gets nothing done._

“So…”

“So.”

“We should probably talk about this, now that, you know…”

“We’re both trapped in the same small space and will be for the next, oh, fifteen hours or so?”

“Fifteen hours?!”

“Probably less. There are all sorts of things I want to see, but as long as we’re in Blacksburg before tomorrow afternoon, it’ll be grand.”

“Blacksburg?”

“Yes, I’m giving a talk at Virginia Tech, and then I’ve got some business to conduct in D.C. that requires my presence. Luckily, I had nothing else scheduled around either of those, at least not immediately.”

“You give talks?”

“Kara, I’m the CEO of one of the leading companies in biomedical engineering, not to mention a woman. Talks at STEM institutions tend to be lined up every other weekend.”

Hopefully, the sunglasses hid Kara’s blush at the endearment. She had a rather disarming feeling that they hadn’t, however.

“And people say you’re not fun.”

“I am, in fact, very fun. Stop trying to deviate from the subject that _you_ brought up, Kara.”

“…Sorry.”

“Don’t worry, let’s just talk. I’ll start, yeah?”

Kara nodded.

“I meant everything I said last night, about kissing you and not being sure whether it was something you were ready for or wanted. We were also drunk and so maybe we got caught in the heat of the moment. I’ll understand if that’s all that it was for you, and we can continue on as friends or I can drop you off at the nearest airport. I promise I won't act boorish, that’s probably the last thing you need.”

Kara gaped. _Is…is she serious?_

“Are you _serious_?”

Lena looked over sharply, eyes wide at the incredulous tone in Kara’s voice. Clearly, she'd expected some form of rejection.

“Lena, yes we were drunk, yes I’m on the lam from my own wedding. Did I expect to end the night kissing you? No. Am I happy it happened? _Absolutely._ I meant everything I said last night, too, you know,” Kara admitted, looking down and then back up at the scientist.

“My only question is, is what do you want from this?”

Lena was silent, fingers drumming the wheel slowly. Her brow furrowed in concentration and Kara was sure she’d never seen anything so quietly gorgeous.

“I have to be honest: I’ve got no idea what I’m doing, and this is completely unexpected – I never thought I’d be picking you up on my trip, or that I’d fa- that we’d connect like this," Lena gestured with her right hand between herself and Kara. "I don’t know what’s going to happen with this, and I don’t want to lead you on. You’re an amazing person, and I don’t know that I can offer you all that you deserve.”

“I appreciate that, Lena. I definitely didn’t plan for this either, but I’m completely going with the flow. I have no plan, no expectation, and honestly? It’s worked out pretty well so far – I mean, I feel like it has, but your feelings are also completely valid! I just mean to say that if you just want to see what happens, I do too.”

Lena gaped, eyes flitting from Kara to the road.

“Kara…” She trailed off, concentrating and biting her bottom lip. Kara tried not to focus on how the red of her mouth pulled up into perfect teeth. She failed, and was caught staring at Lena’s mouth by its owner.

“Eyes up here, Kara.” The offending party offered a mumbled apology, complete with a bright flush. “I just want to reiterate: I’ve no idea what I’m doing. I have no idea where we’ll end up, or what will happen on this trip. If you’re willing,” she took a deep breath, “I’d like to explore this with you, and see where it goes. Is that okay? I know it’s not a promise, but a promise isn’t something I can give at the moment. I can guarantee though, that I will be as honest with you as possible. That's all I'll ask in return.”

“It's okay Lena, I understand! Like I said, completely going with the flow at the mo’.”

Lenas eyebrows knitted together in amused consternation.

“Did you actually just do that?”

“…Yes..?” Lena let out a guffaw, an unstoppable force of a laugh.

“You are so cheesy!”

“I think you kind of like it, Miss Luthor,” Kara flirted, grinning at Lena’s small blush.

“Only from you, Miss Danvers,” she looked back over at Kara and winked.

_Oh jeez oh wow…_

“Okay, Lena?”

“Yes?”

“Maybe focus on the road?”

“Heard.”

XXX

They followed the 85 Northeast, past Montgomery and Atlanta, before turning onto Route 77 towards Virginia. Appalachia loomed in the distance, the summer haze turning the mountains varying shades of blue and violet. It was night when they reached Blacksburg, so Lena checked them both into her hotel room, with a considerable tip for the bellboy.

Lena sank onto the bed with a sigh. Kara chose to lower herself onto the plush chair next to the window.

“I’d say we should have a drink, but…” Lena trailed off, looking at Kara apologetically.

“You’ve got a talk tomorrow that you’ve gotta be sharp for, it’s totally fine! May I treat you to a drink afterwards, though?” Kara asked. Lena sat up straight, pinning her with a stare and immobilizing her with a slow smile.

“Are you asking me on a date, Kara Danvers?”

“I do believe I am,” Kara replied, leaning forward with a teasing challenge lighting up her eyes.

“I’m quite inclined to take you up on your offer,” Lena flirted, rising off of the bed and walking over to where Kara sat. She could hear the scientist’s hammering heart – or was it hers? She couldn’t tell which was thundering over the other, only that Lena was getting closer.

She stopped in front of Kara and leaned over. _When did she undo those buttons?_ Kara’s mind screamed in joy and confusion at the wonderful expanse of skin down Lena’s shirt. A cool finger lifted her chin, bringing her gaze up to deep green, slightly blown pupils.

“See something you like?” The purr in Lena's voice undid Kara’s sense of restraint, and she surged up to connect their lips, tangling her fingers in onyx hair. Lean moaned into her mouth and pressed forward, sitting Kara back down and straddling her lap. When they broke for air, Kara leaned back, as much as the chair allowed, catching Lena’s eyes.

“Is this okay? I don’t want to push anything on you or break any boundaries. I’m all about consent!”

“Kara, darling, _I’m_ straddling _you_. Trust me, I’m very alright with this situation.” She leaned over, and, with her breath tantalizing and hot against the sensitive shell of Kara’s ear, whispered:

“Besides, I’ve been thinking about this all day…”

She’d never thought she could, but in that moment, Kara swore she growled before standing, securely holding Lena against her and moving them both to the bed. The switch in positions put Kara on top, something that, if the flush in her cheeks and blown pupils were any indications, seemed to thrill the other woman.

They lay on the bed, kissing and exploring for what felt like glorious ages. Lena was the one who noticed the time.

“K-Kara… _fuck_ , we-we need to stop…”

“Why..?” Kara mumbled, reveling in her discovery of the miraculous space between Lena’s neck and shoulder.

“My presentation…” The protest was breathy but got through.

“Right! Tomorrow! Sorry!” Kara moved away, suddenly feeling bashful.

“I would love to continue, but work comes first. Though…” Lena trailed off, fixing the blonde with a sultry gaze, “I’ll not mind picking back up afterward, if you’re open to it?”

“So, so open Lee, very yes,” Kara babbled excitedly. _Tomorrow needs to be now._

Lena smiled and gave Kara a relatively more chaste kiss before going into the bathroom.

“So we’re agreed. I’m going to get ready, and I’ll see you in the morning, Good night, Kar.”

“G’night, Lee,” Kara replied dazedly. _Rao, I am going to need a cold shower._

XXX

Lena absolutely smashed her talk. Kara found herself drawn in, fascinated at both the CEO’s presentation, breadth of knowledge, and diplomatic prowess in answering audience questions.

_I knew she was smart, but, wow!_

Their date afterwards was much like the other times they’d gone for food and drinks, but Lena seemed to make it her personal mission to keep Kara blushing, as often as possible - a teasing line here, a dangerous hand on her upper thigh there...

 _Two can play that tango...game..._ whatever!

That was the night Kara teased her mercilessly, kissing her everywhere she could except on the mouth. She only relented after Lena begged her, bringing their lips together gently, deepening the kiss and eliciting a moan from the scientist.

“You did really well today, Lee,” she husked when they broke apart, lips centimeters from Lena’s.

“If this is my reward, I will endeavor to continue excelling,” came the panting reply.

Kara smirked, and leaned in to connect their mouths again.

XXX

Lena’s business in D.C. was confidential, so Kara took the day to visit the museums along the National Mall. The Air and Space Museum fascinated her; it was a monument to the daring and innovation of humans, and she enjoyed discovering just how the machines were put together, what the English words were for devices she, until that point, only understood in Kryptonian terms.

Lena took Kara to Cowboy Café, and was amazed yet again at her companion’s ability to decimate large dishes of chicken wings.

“ _Where_ do you _put it,_ Kar?”

Kara sheepishly shrugged.

“My stomach is a black hole?” She offered.

Lena snorted and sipped her scotch.

“That, or your metabolism is the unstoppable force. Regardless, physicists everywhere boggle.”

Kara chuckled and kept eating.

XXX

Their path took them northwest to Gotham, by way of Cleveland.

“I just want to see why people keep using Cleveland as the butt of jokes?” Kara reasoned. Lena arched a brow but drove them there.

“Perhaps because they’ve never been.”

“You’ve been there before?”

“LCorp has contracts with a couple of the medical organizations in the city.”

“Like the Cleveland Clinic?”

“Yes, but we also do outreach at some of the non-profit medical centers. It’s something I implemented to move the company away from what Luthor Corp stood for,” she explained, exhaling heavily. “Every city we have a contract in, or a subdivision, I try to make a positive impact at a grassroots level, as well as in the corporate world. Sometimes through donations, other times it’s consulting for the technological changes and updated computer systems and business aspects of the non-profits.”

“Wow, Lee, that’s amazing!” Kara breathed, awed at the CEO’s

“Sometimes I wonder if that’s what others see. Perhaps I’m just ruined: I only see things from a cynical standpoint: it’s good PR, and regardless of my personal intent and wish to benefit society, that could be all people see. And it is, in part, PR. I’ve got a company to run, after all.”

“Lena Kieran Luthor, it is amazing and you are amazing. It’s good PR because it’s doing good for everyone, not just big hospitals and businesses – which are also important!” Lena looked at Kara with a wry, amused grin. “I had no idea you were so involved!”

“I had to keep my company running, and I wanted to undo the damage Lex had done. It’s nothing special.” Her voice cracked on her brother’s name.

“Lee, no, it’s wonderful, and it’s something you’ve done, you’ve implemented this and seen through so that it’s positively impacting everyone. ” Kara took Lena’s hand in hers.

“You’re _helping_ people, Lena. That is so, _so_ important, and I’m in awe of you, and so proud to know you and of what you’re doing. I absolutely believe in you, Lena Luthor.”

Lena moved the car over to the shoulder of the highway. Ignoring Kara’s question, she turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt. Turning, she surged forward, fisting Kara’s shirt to tug her close. The kiss was messy, partly due to the awkward angle of the car’s seats, but that didn’t stop either woman from a second, third, fourth kiss, switching sides.

“Thank you, Kara. You’ve no idea what that means to me.”

Instead of responding, Kara kissed Lena once more.

“Let’s keep moving, babe.”

XXX

From Gotham, they traveled through the cornfields in Iowa, then into South Dakota to see the Badlands at sunrise. Lena gave talks and attended necessary LCorp meetings at their subdivisions, but mostly she and Kara drove, sang to cheesy pop hits, talked, and occasionally stopped to make out at the side of the road.

Okay, frequently stopped.

XXX

They had decided to try camping in Montana, a first for Lena.

 _“‘An elite member of society has no reason to sleep in the dirt, Lena,’”_ she’d quoted, sneer turning into a weary sigh as she recalled Lillian’s harsh lessons. Naturally, Kara had insisted that they camp at the next place they stopped at. Against Lena’s half-hearted argument that they’d no tent, she pointedly looked up at the sunroof.

“We’ve got all the tent we need here, Lee.” The CEO relented, and instead insisted that they procure blankets and pillows.

They drove through the Glacier National Park, setting up camp at Lake McDonald. Hours passed, and the sun gave way to the stars. With only a little, subtle help from Kara’s heat vision, the two got a small fire crackling.

That night, with all the other galaxies watching from the ocean of sky, Kara told Lena that she was an alien. She expected rejection, and was ready to fly away, if necessary. Lena had instead rolled over, told her that she’d figured that out, and instead asked a dozen questions about Kara’s home planet. Kara tried, within the limits of the English language, to describe Krypton and the Guilds and her family and Rao and the beauty of a warm, red sunrise.

In the mist of the early morning, they cuddled with mugs of instant coffee and searched for rainbow rocks – Lena had read about how the iron content and oxidization turned different stones different colors, giving the lake a vibrant variety of hues.

It reminded Kara of Krypton. The crimson jumping out amongst a rainbow of stones were similar to the mountains and canyons outside her home. When snowstorms weren’t raging, she would paint the mountain ranges she could see. The memory clenched her heart, stealing her breath for one painful, lost moment. She knelt by the edge of the lake, focusing on the gurgling waves threading through the stones.

“They look like the mountains outside of Kandor,” she stated simply. Saying it loosened something in her chest, and she stood slowly.

Lena silently slipped cool fingers through Kara’s, squeezing gently. Kara closed her eyes and squeezed back.

“Thank you, Lena.”

“Always.”

XXX

The DEO found them in Seattle.

Lena and Kara had been sharing a quiet moment, wandering through a Chihuly exhibit and admiring the works of twisting, coloured glass. The hands that weren’t linked held cups of original Pike Place brew, warm despite the chill of morning.

Kara heard the SpecOps team before she saw them, and shoved Lena behind her, ignoring the sound of dismay as the scientist’s coffee spilled.

“Kara, we waited for an hour for that coffee…”

“We have company,” she warned, just before the smoke bombs went off. Three figures in black tactical gear went down before Kara recognized the DEO emblems on their uniforms.

“Wait, guys, STOP! It’s me, it’s Kara!” She yelled, throwing her hands up in surrender. The rest of the small force paused, looking at each other and radioing in. Tuning into the scratchy comms, Kara’s eyes widened at their messages.

“We’ve found her, repeat, we’ve found her.”

_Shit._

XXX

“Thank god you’re safe, Kara,” Mon-El greeted them, wrapping Kara in a hug. The smell of his cologne overwhelmed her; overpowering and so different from Lena’s perfume it made her gag. She didn’t hug him back, looking instead for any trace of Lena’s jet-black hair. He released her from the embrace, grasping her shoulders and looking into her eyes, scanning.

“Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

Using her super hearing, Kara tuned in to Lena’s heartbeat: erratic but slowly steadying, it was moving further away from where she currently stood. Tuning into noises around her favourite heartbeat, Kara deduced she was in a van, no doubt being transported to a secure location.

“No, I’m fine.” Her reply was curt and a little chilly; he was the last person she expected or wanted to see. “What’re you all doing here?”

“Looking for you, duh!” His face twisted, as though he couldn’t believe she was asking. “You go missing all of a sudden, and so does a Luthor. I put two and two together and she’d obviously kidnapped you. We’re lucky we got here in time, there’s no telling what she could’ve done to you!”

 _I was hoping to find out.._.

It took a few seconds of silence and confused stares before Kara realized:

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

One of the DEO agents nodded slowly. Kara winced internally.

Mon-El shook his head, and grabbed her by her upper arm.

“Kara, we need to go. We have to get you somewhere safe, like my place or -”

“NO!” Kara yelled, yanking her arm out of his grasp. “I’m not going with you, and definitely not to your place!” She turned to Alex, beseeching.

“I wasn’t kidnapped, I was headed out of town when Lena offered me a ride. We’ve just been traveling together, nothing nefarious was going on at all!”

“Kara, I want to trust you, but there’s history behind the Luthors, and with her brother -”

“Lena is _not_ her brother, Alex!” Kara iterated forcefully.

“Okay, okay,” Alex lifted her hands up. “I trust you, and if that’s what you’re saying happened, I’ll take it.” She fixed Kara with a look. “But we _will_ be talking about this later; I had to call in favours in almost _every_ department.”

Kara gulped. She had a feeling this would be an ‘Agent Danvers’ talk and not a ‘my sister Alex’ chat.

“Are you kidding me?” Mon-El sputtered. “Kara, you got in a _car_ with a complete _stranger_ who is also related to a genocidal maniac! How could you even think that that was a good idea?”

“I’m not defenseless, Mon-El! I can handle myself.”

“Right, because Supergirl is invincible? Newsflash, you're just as weak as anybody in the wrong circumstances! She could've used your secret against you!"

“She doesn’t know I’m Supergirl! Rao, Mon-El, I know what a secret identity _is,_ and I wouldn’t compromise it!” Kara retorted, anger rising with her voice.

“Well, you’ve never really been a great judge of character, so it’s debatable!” He fired back.

“Ugh! This is why I couldn’t marry you!”

Dead silence.

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do, I mean it so, so much.”

“We’re good, we work!”

“No, Mon-El, we don’t. We don’t work at all, and I’m tired of just ignoring that for something that, honestly brought me more pain than joy.”

“But…Kara, I became better because of you, you helped me grow and I can’t imagine being without you,” he whined.

“Try.”

“That’s not fair!”

“No, what’s not fair is expecting me to be your parent for the rest of our lives. What’s not fair is seeing only a person’s name and not bothering to ask questions and find out their story. What’s NOT fair is how little faith you have in me. I’m not going to settle for ‘good’ when I know I deserve more.”

Mon-El had the decency to look ashamed before pinning his eyes on his shoes, and Kara softened slightly.

“You can be a great guy, and a fantastic hero. You just need to grow up a bit, and I can’t do that for you. That’s something you need to take the time to do yourself.”

He let out a shaky breath, stepping back and running a hand down his face.

“Okay…okay. That…wow that really sucks to hear, but I hear you. I thought you and I were gonna make a really good team.” He cleared his throat, jaw clenching before looking back to Kara. “I’m sorry, Kara.”

XXX

A few days later, Kara hadn’t been able to reach or find Lena anywhere. Defeated, she slumped on her sofa, staring suspiciously at her sister.

“Are you keeping her in some kind of underground facility?” she asked Alex, pointing an accusing finger.

“No, as soon as you told me she wasn’t like her brother, I radioed in and got them to bring her back to her car. She was not happy, and we barely avoided a lawsuit.”

“I wonder why…”

“No snark from you, you disappeared and had us all worried! Would one phone call have killed you?”

“No…I'm sorry, Alex, I know I should've phoned in and let you in, at least.” The hard stare, pressuring her to speak, relented.

“Seriously, what happened? You were gone for so long, with nothing to let us know you were okay.”

“It’s…it’s a long story,” Kara said, trying to fight the hitch in her voice. She failed. Alien threats and criminals, she could win against and lock away. Her emotions were a different story altogether. Alex noticed, and wrapped a comforting arm around her sister.

“I’ll order your usual, with extra potstickers.”

“Are you sure you don’t have to go to work?

“For my little sister? I’ll take as many days as necessary.”

That night, Kara told Alex everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FLUFF n STUFF!  
> I'm also putting together a playlist for their roadtrip jams, will share once I'm wrap up the story!  
> There's another chapter: I didn't realise how many ideas were scrambling to get out until I started writing, so everything will conclude in the next chapter. There will be angst, just a heads up.  
> There's also a "deleted scene" that I'm thinking of making into a one-shot - Kara's reveal of her identity. Would that fly? (Pun intended)  
> Thank you for reading, and for all your feedback! Please keep letting me know what you liked, and again, any constructive criticism is appreciated!


	4. Got A Real Good Feelin'

Everyone was trying to pretend that things were back to normal, as though Kara hadn’t ditched her wedding and gone AWOL for weeks before being found with – of all people – Lena Luthor.

Winn, however, had not been able to contain the fanboy. He came in to CatCo with a large bag of sticky buns – to Kara’s joy – and many questions about Lena – to Kara’s dismay.

“Oh my god, you were with her for her speaking tour! That’s amazing, what I would give to be sitting at one of her lectures…” he trailed off with a dreamy smile.

“Well, if she ever decides to speak to me again, I’ll introduce you,” Kara offered, glumly nibbling on her sticky bun. Not even the sweet, doughy goodness could assuage the unresolved, aching hole in her chest.

Maybe she just hadn’t eaten enough of them. _Why didn’t Winn bring two bags?_

“Have you still not gotten in contact with her?”

“She won’t answer calls, and I’ve tried to go in to see her but security won’t let me through because I ‘don’t have proper clearance,’ whatever that means!” She sighed, looking forlornly into the empty bag that used to have sticky buns.

“Jeez, Kara, I’m sorry.” Winn moved around the desk to Kara, and enveloped her in a hug. 

"I just don't know what to do, Winn! How can I make it right?"

"I'd always say communicate, but it sounds like she wants her space, you know?" He wrapped a supportive arm around her. "Give her some time; the right moment will show itself one way or another. It's kinda like probability, but with people."

 

XXX

 

Kara went to multiple debriefings to be asked the same questions, to which she gave the same answers. She knew it was protocol, but it felt pointless. After one debriefing, she found J’onn in the DEO corridors.

“When are these going to end?”

J’onn didn’t seem fazed by her sudden and abrupt question, and gazed at her steadily before motioning for her to walk with him.

“I don’t know, Supergirl. The higher-ups want to corroborate stories, and try to glean any information possible that will help them understand what happened.”

“But I’ve told them what happened; I’ve answered everything the same way for _two weeks_! What more do they want me to do?” Kara turned, halting their slow trek down the DEO halls.

“I understand that these are not what you would rather be doing. I don’t like them either, but as a government agency, we have to adhere to regulations. In this case, I can understand why they might feel the need to double-check information.” He stopped walking and folded his arms. “One of the officials…his anxiety is like a telepathic megaphone; I wanted to respect his privacy, but he left me no choice. Apparently, there are those in the government who feel your road trip is indicative of a dangerous rebellious streak, or that you have returned brainwashed.”

“It isn’t, and I’m _not_!”

“I know. They don’t, and they’re nervous about what it all means.”

Kara huffed, forehead wrinkling in consternation.

“I may not be a human, J’onn, but I’m a person and I just had to get away from – from everything. There’s nothing more to it than that.”

“And the reason you stayed away?” He regarded her with a stare, the omniscient but patient parental look that called her out but let her know that it was okay to be honest. Kara sighed.

“I wanted to stay with Lena. If I came back right away, I’d have to go back to keeping secrets and watching myself. With her, it was like Supergirl wasn’t a burden or this separate identity.” J’onn nodded. She took a breath to steady her voice. “J’onn, do you know how long it’s been since I could be Kara Zor-El? Not Supergirl, not Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El.” Her voice cracked, and she started crying. A warm palm on her shoulder steadied her, and she looked up into warm eyes.

“It can be easy to lose who we are in who we must, by circumstance, perform.

You and I, Kara, we have had to create new identities here, to fit in and hide the truth of not just our origin, but who we are, who we were. It feels like those hidden parts are lost, gone for good. Sometimes we find those who make it easier to find those truths. They see us for us, and they do not turn away. It is a great, rare peace, to be seen as you are, without expectation or judgment. I won’t begrudge you that.”

“Thanks, J’onn,” Kara sniffled, squeezing him tightly before letting go.

 

XXX

 

It didn’t take long for their paths to cross again.

Cities are so big, full of so many people; you’d think it’d be simple to go without seeing someone for ages. However, National City, much like any other urban area, was rather a small microcosm. Probability had Kara and Lena meeting again at about 1 in 4 million.

Serendipity guffawed in its face.

 

XXX

 

“Kara! My office. Now, please!”

Cat Grant’s voice cut through the figurative cloud that surrounded Kara’s brain. She looked up quizzically, only to see a flash of blonde hair as her mentor strode into the afore-mentioned office, followed by a muttering Snapper Carr.

_Great._

Hoping that she wasn’t about to lose her job (again), Kara picked herself up and joined her two bosses.

“The L-Corp Charity Gala is this weekend, and as the reporter who covers such events has decided, for some reason, to come down with appendicitis, we find ourselves requiring someone else.”

Kara tilted her head, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“And you want me...?”

“No Kara, I’m taking John Cena and asked you into my office for your blessing.” Cat rolled her eyes. “You have experience in attending these events, you know how to tell how they’re going, and you know what information to pick up on. It’s the most logical decision to assign you this story.”

Snapper muttered something that sounded strangely like “a nice change of pace.” Kara let it go with a measured breath.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

 

XXX

 

Attending a charity event as a reporter was somewhat similar to attending as Cat’s assistant. Kara was familiar with some of the faces in the large crowd, and found herself chatting with various members of the city’s business elite. The transition to interviewing felt seamless, and she was rewarding herself with some of the very small and very delicious hors d’oeuvres when the music quieted. The large ballroom hushed as the crowd turned towards the stage at the back.

Kara, to her credit, managed not to choke when her eyes fell upon the speaker.

“A wise person once said, ‘A little do-good does a lot for the feel-good.’ I’d like to begin by thanking each and every one of you for coming out tonight and supporting this cause.”

Lena Luthor stood, poised and powerful at the podium, delicately holding a flute of champagne. She began speaking, thanking donors and guests for coming, and the familiar cadences snuck through Kara’s ears to stab at her heart. The reporter hung onto every word that the CEO said, hurting at the distance between them but also elated to be in the same space again. Lena smiled as her eyes scanned the room, acknowledging attendees.

Kara’s heart raced.

_Will she see me?_

Their eyes locked.

Lena saw her, Kara was sure of it even though the other woman showed no reaction. Instead, the speech continued, coming to it’s conclusion. Flutes were raised.

“I’d like to propose a toast to a new chapter in Natio-”

The abrupt cracking of semi-automatics filled the air and interrupted the almost-toast. In the ensuing chaos, Kara tried her best to guide panicked patrons towards the exit nearest to her before redefining a quick-change and speeding back in as Supergirl.

“This is an RSVP-only event, guys,” she quipped as she charged towards two attackers. Feinting to the left, she launched herself to the right, blitzing one of them before delivering a punishing round kick into the yielding gut of the other. The other intruders noticed, and refocused their efforts on Supergirl. Swiftly, Kara counted six others holding guns. She’d have to leave at least one of them conscious to get information – the DEO didn’t receive any intel on any plans involving the Gala so she’d have to fill out reports.

“You have no idea how much paperwork you’ve given me,” Supergirl grumbled as she grabbed the closest man with a gun and threw him into the next closest. The third person fired on her. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of her body, and she allowed them both a moment: incredulity for them and utter deadpan for her.

“C’mon, haven’t you read the news?” She accented her question with a swift uppercut. The attacker crumpled. “Those don’t work on me.” Using superspeed, Kara crossed the ballroom and dealt with the fourth and fifth intruder, slamming their heads together.

_There were six..?_

A frightened, familiar shout seized Supergirl, and she spun, dread settling in her heart. On the stage, Lena held her hands up as the final intruder pressed a handgun to her head.

“The city doesn’t need more Luthor trash!” He snarled. Lena remained silent, staring him down. She seemed to be contemplating, and, ever the businesswoman, decided to negotiate. Grudges against her family were not new.

“If there is something my family has done, I will fix it. We can work this out, I promise-”

"You can’t fix shit! I’m about to do the world a favo-”

Lena’s hands shot out, her left slamming into the man’s knuckles as her right made contact with the fleshy inside of his forearm. The gun went flying, and she sprinted away as he howled. She managed to make it a few steps before he caught her. Lena’s eyes closed as she waited for the blow to fall.

It didn’t.

Supergirl saw red. She flew to the stage and grabbed the last attacker by his shirt before slamming her head into his, probably a little harder than necessary, knocking him out cold. Letting his unconscious body fall, she turned to face Lena. Trying to ignore the hammering of her heart, Supergirl put her hands on her hips and addressed the CEO.

“Are you alright?”

Lena stared at her in shock, and then schooled her features into a small smile.

“I am now, thanks to you, Supergirl.” Kara blushed; she recognized the breathy tone from an entirely different context. She took a deep breath, trying _so hard_ to stay professional and ignore the heat licking against her stomach.

“It’s no problem, Ms. Luthor. I-I was in the neighborhood,” she stammered, catching the not-very-subtle full-body glance that the other woman just gave her.

_Rao, help me._

“Thank you all the same,” Lena smirked, quirking her eyebrow and stopping Kara’s heart. “Who’d have thought a Super would rescue a Luthor?”

Kara looked down before replying, quietly and sincerely:

“You are not your family. I’ve seen what you do. You help the people in National City in ways that even I can’t. You are good, Le- Ms. Luthor, and you deserve the benefit of the doubt.”

Lena stared at her with an unfathomable expression; Kara heard the increase in her heart rate and knew she was not unaffected – but was it in a good way? She cleared her throat and managed to stop herself from pushing imaginary glasses up.

“Anyways, it looks like my job here is done. I should get going. Crime never sleeps, you know?” She smiled, fighting the blush still creeping up her neck. “Stay safe, Ms. Luthor.”

“You too, Supergirl,” Lena smiled genuinely. Kara took to the air, but if she had stayed a second longer, she might have caught the thoughtful look that crossed Lena’s face.

 

XXX

 

When Kara walked into CatCo to finish her cover of the gala, Snapper had scowled at her and told her that she had to go interview Lena Luthor about the attack. It was breaking news and he didn’t want the story poached from them, which is how Kara found herself in the elevator at L-Corp, a press pass dangling from her neck. Her palms were sweating. She was going to go into a room with Lena, alone. They were going to talk, for the first time, since Seattle.

She’d barely kept it together when rescuing Lena. How would she do without the façade of her secret identity to protect her? What would she even _say_?

The elevator dinged. Kara inhaled deeply and stepped out, trying to dispel her nerves.

“Hi, um…Jess?” She enquired, reading the nameplate on the desk. The assistant looked up with a polite smile.

“Hello, how may I help you?”

“I’m Kara Danvers, here with CatCo Magazine for an interview with Ms. Luthor,” Kara shot her a grin, motioning to her pass.

“Oh! Yes, you’re her 2:30. I’ll let her know that you’re here.” Kara thanked the assistant and turned, pretending to examine her surroundings. This was it, in a few minutes she would be face to face with Lena. They would talk, and then perhaps they would _talk_. The thought that she’d have an opportunity to explain everything, to apologize, to try to make everything that happened in Seattle right; her heart was pounding, a dull thud that dominated every other sound. It rose in volume, filling her ears until even the spaces between beats drowned the world out. Would Lena want to reconcile? What if she threw Kara out of her office? What if she didn’t? Would she be happy, sad, angry to see Kara? Would she -

“Ms. Luthor will see you now, Ms. Danvers!” Came Jess’s sudden, chipper voice, breaking Kara from her ruminating.

_That fast?_

“I – uh, great! Thank you Jess!”

Squaring her shoulders, Kara strode into the office.

It was pristine – that was the first thing she noticed. Sunlight bathed the room, warming neutral tones. The shelves were immaculate, books ordered and vases neatly arranged in cubbies. A comfortable-looking white sofa lounged against the wall. It was all very minimalistic and slightly sterile, and Kara felt a pang – _there ought to be flowers, somewhere…_

She turned to the right: there sat Lena, head bent over an array of papers that were, inexplicably, neatly cluttered along her desk. The CEO spoke without looking up.

“I’ll give Cat Grant this: she’s fast. You’re the first reporter to request an interview with me regarding the attack. Not that there haven’t been calls,” the hand that had been scribbling notes stilled. “Cat just happened to be, as they say, in the right place at the right time. Now, how may I help you...?”

_Now or never._

“Kara. Kara Danvers.”

Slowly, Lena looked up from her desk, eyes wide with disbelief. Visually confirming that the voice belonged to the same woman she’d absconded with, her mouth dropped open in surprise. She was absolutely breathtaking, and Kara’s entire body briefly forgot how to function. She’d had gotten to know Lena personally; as her road trip friend and later lover, as well as the Lena who engaged students and faculty with her passion. Here, she met a different Lena: the CEO who wore a commanding red blouse under a smart black blazer, an expensive watch gleaming on her right wrist as a subtle show of affluence. Lipstick the colour of merlot completed her modern day armor, but her true weapon lay in her stare. Intense, green eyes bore into Kara’s very soul, holding her gaze through sheer force of will. They pinned her where she stood, searching for something and shaking her to the core. She had a feeling that Lena would find whatever it was, and she’d be none the wiser.

The silence stretched for a minute, thought it felt like ages.

“…Kara?”

“That is me, yes…”

“What are you doing here?”

“I – I work for CatCo? I’m a junior reporter?”

“Why are you here, I mean.”

“I was there – at the gala, I was covering it when – when everything happened.”

“Oh. So that _was_ you.”

“You saw me?”

“I thought I was imagining things. How on earth would you be at my event? I hadn’t seen you since…” _Since Seattle._ It hung in the air between them, heavy and unsaid.

“…I tried to talk to you, I tried calling, I left voicemails, heck, and I’ve been kicked out of your building!” Kara started, screeching to a halt at Lena’s expression of alarm.

“So you were at the gala on purpose, to try to get to me?”

“No!” Kara’s voice rose with indignation. “I was there because Ms. Grant assigned the story to me at the last minute. Events aren’t my normal beat.”

“I know. You cover Supergirl and aliens’ rights.”

“You read my stuff?” Warmth blossomed in Kara’s cheeks, and something in her middle took flight.

“It is my business to stay on top of what’s going on in the world around me. Of course I read your articles.”

“Oh.” The swooping sensation in her belly fell.

“Indeed.” Silence fell again, hanging heavy between the two women.

Clearing her throat, Lena reiterated her earlier question:

“Well, then. Ms. Danvers, how may I help you?”

 _Oh, ouch._ Lena was not pleased, but she was professional. At a loss for what to do, Kara opted for the same. As if snapped out of a stupor, she began rummaging through her purse for her recorder and paper pad.

“Ah yes, well, since I was at the gala, I’ve also been assigned to interview you about the ah, the attack?”

Something that looked suspiciously like disappointment flickered across Lena’s otherwise impassive face.

“Alright, then, let’s begin.”

The interview was, to any untrained eye, as professional as one could hope for it to be. Kara knew she would be bringing back an exclusive scoop, but the way they interacted throughout it was stilting, jarred by their familiarity and their conflict.

 _I should’ve said no to Cat, had her assign this to someone else…_ but how would she have justified not taking the job without revealing everything that had transpired? Cat had a sixth sense for the truth, both its presence and absence. Eventually Kara got to her last question and Lena to her last answer. Sensing the end of their time as it rushed inevitably towards her, Kara felt panic flit through her. She couldn’t let things go like this, not with this barrier between her and Lena.

“Does this conclude our interview, Ms. Danvers?” The woman in question asked after a couple beats of silence.

“Lena, I…” Kara trailed off, unsure about phrase what she said next. Ethically, should she? This was, after all, an assignment for work, and she couldn’t just infringe with her personal life.

_Will you have another chance?_

“Are you avoiding me?” It wasn’t the question she’d practiced asking over and over, substituting words and creating paragraphs of explanation, but it was the question she needed answered. If it got answered, then she’d be able to move forward – either with Lena, or with a jumbo box of potstickers.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’ve tried to talk to you but you won’t answer or you won’t see me. What did I do?” Kara paused, then quietly implored: “What can I do to make it better?”

Lena stared at her, careful and wary consideration cloaking any other emotion she might be feeling.

“Lena,” she implored. “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

That got a reaction: an arched eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?” Lena barked with humorless laughter. “What’s wrong, Kara, is that I was manhandled by government agents and interrogated for hours for no reason! They treated me like I was Lex, and I didn’t know why.”

Kara felt guilt coil around her gut. She knew that the DEO had been mislead by Mon-El into believing that Lena had kidnapped her, which explained their attitude towards her: they only saw a Luthor. She opened her mouth to reply, but Lena held a finger up, glaring.

“And, the entire time, I was scared for you! Where were you? Where did they take you? Why were there agents tracking you in the first place? You sounded like you knew them, so why were we separated? I genuinely thought something bad was happening to you, but nobody would tell me anything! I could’ve been answering questions while you were -” She cut herself off, jaw clenching as she struggled with the strong emotion. “Kara, I was worried sick.”

“I’m sorry, Lena. I tried to call you, to explain and make sure you were okay.”

“Yes, well. I didn’t want to talk.”

“Why?” Kara pleaded. “

“Your fiancé was part of the group that released me.” She stated lowly, raising an eyebrow while looking anywhere but Kara. The pen in her hand seemed to suddenly fascinate her, and she twirled it as her words sunk in. _I’m going to hurl that shod-unah i kova into the sun._

“Mon- ah, Mike?” Kara felt her gut sink. “What’d he say to you?”

“It’s nothing I haven’t heard before from people I knew better,” Lena airily replied, even as her hand tightened around the pen.

“Don’t do that, don’t shut me out. I know you’re upset about it!” Kara exclaimed, exasperated despite herself.

“ _Upset_? Kara, I -” Lena stopped herself. She closed her eyes and rolled her neck, exhaling slowly. When she spoke, her voice was quieter and forcefully measured. “Look, if you were just going to get back together with him, you could’ve just told me that.”

Kara gaped.

“I – he – you – _what_?” she spluttered.

“Don’t worry, I got the message loud and clear: you’re back together with him, the wedding’s still on, I _get it_ , alright?” Lena’s voice was trying to be strong, but she wavered on “wedding.” Her eyes shone brightly, the green tumultuous and hurt. “I just wish you had been more honest with me about what was going on, about what _we_ were -”

“Lena – ” Kara started, but the CEO plowed on, as though each word was a torture to say and she wanted it over with as swiftly as possible. The pen began an erratic staccato against the desk, as though it was trying to escape the pale fingers clutching it like a lifeline.

“If I was just a temporary fix while you got your head together, you could’ve said, and I wouldn’t have – I wouldn’t have…” A sniffle broke free. Lena turned around. Understanding dropped, and Kara blanched.

“Lena, it’s not like that at all!”

“Don’t bother, Kara,” Lena sighed, rubbing her head. “I knew it would be a long-shot for anybody to develop feelings for me, much less reciprocate - ”

“We’re not getting married.” Kara interrupted bluntly. Lena turned and stared, incredulous.

“…You’re not?” She asked quietly, brow furrowing as though she couldn’t decide whether or not to trust the new information.

“No,” Kara let a little laugh escape. “Rao, Lena, _no._ Mike is the last person I want to be with, and I told him as much in Seattle.”

“So…you’re not…?” Wary hope filled the space where Lena’s question lay. The pen hovered, silent.

“Definitely not.” Kara smiled gently. “I’m sorry for the worry you went through. Mike’s a…Mike’s a dick,” she acknowledged, drawing a small snort from the CEO. “I should’ve come for you after they let me go, I’m sorry.”

Lena exhaled and leaned back in her chair, face an impassive mask.

“You’re not in love with him?”

“No.” _I think I’m in love with you,_ Kara managed not to say. It wasn’t the time.

“Good. I still need to ask: why were those agents – I assume they’re some sort of covert government operation – looking for you? You’re not secretly a criminal, right? That’s the only reason outside of blatant xenophobia that I could think of as being the case for such an organized sting.”

Kara’s heart thundered in her chest as prickles of anxiety wormed their way through her scalp.

She could lie, could just tell Lena that Mon-El was employed by them and abused his standing. It wasn’t entirely untrue. That way, she’d keep her identity safe and keep Lena safe. The more people who knew she was Supergirl, the more people she put in danger.

However, Lena already knew she was an alien. They’d spent almost an entire season sharing the road, and she trusted the Luthor with the best and worst moments of her life. Lena didn’t deserve to be kept in the dark; she’d more than proven that she was capable of handling herself, too.

Kara sighed, knowing exactly what she was going to do.

“Lena, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

Her hands carefully began working at her shirt, undoing the buttons slowly.

Lena was silent, eyebrows first shooting into her scalp with shock. Kara tried to ignore the blushes that spread across both of their faces. As the crest of the House of El came into view against the deep blue, Lena’s mouth formed a small “o” of surprise.

“You’re Supergirl.”

“Yes.”

Lena nodded and stood, moving to lean against her desk, eyes focused on the symbol. She crossed her arms and pinned Kara with a look.

“Why did you wait to tell me?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t sooner, I was going to but then we got ambushed…”

“Because that organization thought you had been kidnapped by a Luthor.” There was neither ice nor anger in the statement, just the contemplative calm that comes with the clarity of the pieces coming together.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Kara winced apologetically.

“That…that makes sense.”

“I didn’t intend to keep it a secret from you, I swear, it’s just that…when we were on the road, I was just me, you know? Even after I told you that I was an alien, I wasn’t The Alien; I was Kara, who just happened to be not human. If I told you I was Supergirl, I’d lose that. Not to mention, you’d be in incredible danger.”

“I’m a Luthor. I’m always in danger.” Lena retorted, rolling her eyes.

“It’d be more so for knowing Supergirl!”

“I’ve had a target on my back since I was brought to the Luthor mansion, Kara. Trust me, I can handle it.”

“But I can’t!” Silence followed Kara’s outburst. “I – I already feel like I’m carrying the weight of the world when I wear this suit; if the wrong people found out about me and hurt the people I love…Lena, it would absolutely break me. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you, because of me.” Her voice wavered and she looked down. Her vision blurred with hot tears, and she blinked them away.

Two hands gently gripped her arms, and she looked up, surprised. Lena gazed back at her, the forest meeting the ocean.

“That is a heavy burden to put on yourself, Kara. Thank you for telling me, I know what it means to you to share this.” Lena squeezed Kara’s arms and pulled her into a hug. Kara melted into the embrace, biting back a whine when it ended much too soon. Lena took a step back, and Kara’s heart ached.

“That being said, will you give me some space? I need to process…” Lena waved her hands haplessly. “I need to process all of this.”

“When you have…can we talk?” Kara didn’t care how hopeful she sounded.

“I promise, Kara.”

 

XXX

 

It only took Lena two days.

Kara was flying over National City when she heard her name being called. It was a slow day, so she flew in the direction of the call, landing on L-Corp’s balcony. Lena was standing there, staring out at the skyline and waiting for her. Silently, Kara walked over until they were a foot apart. Still gazing at the city, Lena spoke:

“You know I’ll worry about you constantly, right?”

“Uhm…”

“And that I can get very wrapped up in my work?”

“I admire that about you.” Kara grinned shyly, excitement sparking as Lena returned the smile. “And I’ll make sure you eat, sleep, and shower.”

“My family will probably try to kill you.”

“Just a day in the life.”

“I’ll never stop eating kale.”

“Nobody’s perfect.”

The ravenette chuckled, a low sound that rumbled its way warmly into Kara’s heart.

“Then, I think this is doable. I was never one for convention, anyway.” Lena turned, finally, looking Kara in the eye. “Is this something you still want?”

“Rao, Lena, _yes_.”

“Good. Now I can finally do this,” she closed the space between herself and the Kryptonian and brought their lips together. Kara sighed contentedly into the kiss, cupping Lena’s cheek with one hand while pulling her closer with the other. A hand on her chest stopped her, and Lena broke the kiss. She pressed her forehead against Kara’s, rubbing their noses together.

“One more question.”

“What is it?”

“You said you didn’t want the people you love getting hurt. Do you love me?” The CEO was suddenly shy, but Kara didn’t take long to answer:

“Yes.”

Lena smiled and leaned back in, kissing Kara with fervor.

“I love you too, Kara.”

 

XXX

 

_A Few Years (and road-trips) Later..._

 

Kara stood on the steps of the church.

The wind ruffled her (expensive) suit, and she held the bouquet in her right hand as she searched the road. Finally, she saw what she was looking for and, with a gleeful yelp, hurried down the steps. The untrained observer would honestly swear,  _hand to God_ , that she floated down to the car pulling to a stop.

But that's ridiculous, right?

The driver of the car rolled down the window, revealing a stunning woman with deep red lipstick and jet hair. The two stopped and smiled at each other, taking a moment to enjoy a private, personal joke. 

“Now, where might you headed to, dressed up like that?” Lena drawled, cutting the engine and opening the door. Her white dress was elegant without pretense, and Kara's breath caught in her throat. Clearing it, she responded:

"Oh, anywhere."

"Just anywhere?"

"Anywhere with you," Kara replied, scooping Lena into her arms and kissing her wife deeply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoy the final chapter! I'll probably fix it up at some point.  
> I tried to make the Kryptonian version of "idiot man-child."
> 
> Come yell at me on twitter: @Kathleen_Lowry

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Once again, a song triggered a story and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it, so here's the first chapter. All edits and residual mistakes are mine, but any and all constructive feedback is appreciated! This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I kept adding things and so now it's three chapters.
> 
> Lena's a bit more of a physical fighter here, I figured that she's had some self-defense training as part of her security detail - sort of an 'if everything else fails and you absolutely must use it' countermeasure. She may prefer using brains over brawn, but the woman is nothing if not prepared.
> 
> Bully Bob is a brand of punching bag.
> 
> I have never been to Arizona and tried to keep stuff vague because I know I don't know anything about the state. Their road trip is mapped out in my mind and on my outline, and I'm writing it under the assumption that National City is somewhere in SoCal.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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